# Brain aneurysm repair? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 2, 2004, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-aneurysm-repair/262703 "2004-09-02T02:55:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-aneurysm-repair/262703/1 "2004-09-02T02:55:44Z")
Singer Laura Brannigan recently died of a brain aneurysm. It was reported that she complained of headaches a couple of weeks before, but didn’t do anything about it. If she had, what are the odds that doctors could have saved her? Granted, the exact details of where the aneurysm was located are not known, but aren’t these things difficult to remove or repair? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-aneurysm-repair/262703/2 "2004-09-02T03:00:41Z")
Difficult, risky, but not impossible. And most such procedures end with good outcomes. _Most_, not all. Most people with cerebral aneurisms undergo a rigourous risk assessment to see whether the annual chance of a catastrophic hemorrhage occurring merits the risk of the procedure. I’m not up on the really latest techniques, but a lot can be done thru a catheter threaded up into the brain, rather than drilling holes thru the head. Doubtless someone more ambitious than I will provide cites soon. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-aneurysm-repair/262703/3 "2004-09-02T03:07:24Z")
Some info here. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-aneurysm-repair/262703/4 "2004-09-02T03:09:16Z")
Ooops, [here](http://www.debakeydepartmentofsurgery.org/home/content.cfm?proc_name=Aneurysm+Repair&content_id=274). ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-aneurysm-repair/262703/5 "2004-09-02T12:46:23Z")
Jimmy Breslin survived one, and wrote about it. [I Want to Thank My Brain for Remembering Me : A Memoir](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0316118796/qid=1094128938/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/104-7837670-4594343?v=glance&s=books) My friend Danny survived one too. ---
**Author:** ![Palikia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@Palikia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palikia)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-aneurysm-repair/262703/6 "2004-09-02T14:23:33Z")
My mother survived one 45 years ago when I was still in school. (My best friend’s father was her neurosurgeon.) She enrolled in college afterwards, received her degree and worked in the medical field until her retirement. I think luck plays a big part. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-aneurysm-repair/262703/7 "2004-09-02T21:53:52Z")
> [@x-ray vision](#): > > Ooops, [here](http://www.debakeydepartmentofsurgery.org/home/content.cfm?proc_name=Aneurysm+Repair&content_id=274). Interesting stuff. This is one of the few things I fear. That, and strokes. Really anything that would screw up my brain. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-aneurysm-repair/262703/8 "2004-09-03T00:13:10Z")
My future mother in law survived an aneurysm, so I would assume they can be fixed. Of course, she had already kicked breast cancer in the ass, so maybe she’s just the bionic woman. ---
**Author:** ![Burrido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Burrido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burrido)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-aneurysm-repair/262703/9 "2004-09-03T05:03:38Z")
Very risky, but doable. My friend passed away not because of the aneurysm, but as a result of them trying to fix it. She hemorraged and died. My 92 year old grandmother had surgury to repair hers and she came out fine. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-aneurysm-repair/262703/10 "2004-09-03T10:25:36Z")
**x-ray vision** , your link was to a site about \*aortic \* aneurysm. They arise from very different causes. Aneurysms in the brain are much different. For one thing, if they are found, prior to bleeding, the person has a much greater chance of returning to a fairly normal life. If the person presents with unconsciousness, a sign of rupture, Their chances of survival drops, and their chance of surviving with any quality of life is close to zero. There are two main causes of cerebral aneurysms, [and [url=http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/350/17/e15]A-V Malformations.](]Berry Aneurysms[/url) Berrys tend to recur if the patient survives the first one. Because of the location, they are often undiagnosed until the bleed. A-V Ms are usually larger, and cause symptoms for a while prior to rupture. The vessels involved will often spasm, which can cause death in itself.